Oxford, England—CNA—There is no better time for Oxford University’s 400 clubs and societies to recruit new members than at the Student Union’s Freshers’ Fair, held annually in October. Students embarking on their freshman year — known as “freshers” in England — walk around stalls run by groups devoted to everything from anime to mixed martial…
I received a copy of Rich Karlgaard’s Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement to review just before it was a published. This book really resonated with me since I have been working with people in transition since 2001 through a parish based ministry. Over 6,000 executives, managers and…
French pediatrician and geneticist Jérôme Lejeune, renown for discovering the extra chromosome that causes Down syndrome, was a devout Catholic. As a Catholic, Lejeune thought his historic discovery would lead to a more compassionate approach to children with the syndrome. Instead—to his horror—Lejeune’s famous discovery became a tool used to diagnose Down Syndrome babies in…
CNA—The former Washington State University football coach, a Catholic, intends to sue the school after he was refused a religious exemption to the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate and was subsequently fired for not getting vaccinated. Nick Rolovich, a Catholic, had previously announced in July that he would not be receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, but would…
CNA—A Catholic leader has said that his archdiocese won’t take part in the two-year global synodal process, saying that it would run “the risk of becoming ideological.” Archbishop Wolfgang Haas of Vaduz, Liechtenstein, announced his decision on Oct. 15, 2021. “I am of the opinion that in our small archdiocese it is possible for good…
CNA—A Kansas City-area Baptist megachurch has reached a $150,000 settlement with the county over coronavirus restrictions, with the church claiming that the county treated them more harshly than secular institutions when it came to COVID protocols. Abundant Life Baptist Church, which has locations in Lee’s Summit and Blue Springs, Missouri, filed a lawsuit against Jackson…
CNA—Pope Francis greeted a Colombian nun on Sunday, shortly after she was freed four years after being kidnapped by Islamists in Mali. The pope blessed Sr. Gloria Cecilia Narváez Argoti before a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica launching a worldwide synodal process. The Malian presidency announced that she was released on Oct. 9 after “four…
In November of 2020, Santiago Retreat Center Vice President of Philanthropy and our Brother in Christ Hank Evers was diagnosed with a rare form of terminal cancer. During this past year, we walked with Hank on his heroic Camino of suffering, made particularly difficult by the Covid restrictions on healthcare facilities. Doctor visits, hospital stays, chemo infusions, all…
On October 7, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, more than on any other feast day, I feel especially emboldened in faith and hope, no matter what the anti-common sense, anti-life, anti-Christian news of the day! The reason is simple. The power of praying the Rosary was manifest in such a remarkable, historical…
Sean Stephenson delivered a talk to inmates at Ironwood State Prison in Blythe, California, several years ago that absollutely inspires, no matter where you are. No matter what circumstances or challenges you face right now. He cuts through all the muck and challenges of life to squarely focus on going forward. Need inspiration? Sean’s talk…
Lifesite News—A federal judge who fined undercover journalist David Daleiden $16 million for exposing Planned Parenthood’s aborted baby body parts trade is facing accusations of illegal and unethical financial connections to a party in one of his cases. The Wall Street Journal identified U.S. District Judge William Orrick, of California, as one of 131 federal judges who broke…
National Review—Breaking up large districts would restrain teachers’ unions. The many lessons of the COVID pandemic have included an unwelcome one for public-school parents about the outsized power of American teachers’ unions. Even as private schools remained open or reopened, almost half of public-school districts in the United States continued with “hybrid” learning — the unproven…
CNA—A Texas abortion doctor who said he performed an abortion in violation of a new state law was sued Monday by two non-Texas residents, in what appears to be the first legal action taken since the law took effect this month. A Texas pro-life group has criticized the lawsuits, however, calling them “imprudent” and “self-serving.”…
CNA—Catholic nuns and his grandparents’ example helped instill in Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas the belief that all people were children of God and that the racist flaws of American society were a betrayal of its best promises, the Justice said in a lecture Thursday. “My nuns and my grandparents lived out their sacred vocation…
On Sept. 19, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Januarius, bishop, martyr, and patron saint of Naples, Italy. Traditionally, on this day and on two other occasions a year, his blood, which is kept in a glass ampoule in the shape of a rounded cruet, liquifies. According to documentation cited by the Italian…
CNA—The blood of St. Januarius, patron of the Italian city of Naples, liquefied on Sunday. The miraculous event took place in the city’s Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary during morning Mass on Sept. 19, 2021, the saint’s feast day. Before the Mass, Naples Archbishop Domenico Battaglia went to the Royal Chapel of the Treasure…
CNA—Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has said that the legalization of same-sex marriage in many countries is “a distortion of conscience” which has also entered some Catholic circles. In an introduction to a new anthology of his writings on Europe, Benedict XVI said that “with the legalization of ‘same-sex marriage’ in 16 European countries, the issue…
Those who fail to learn from history are destined to repeat it. Let’s make sure our children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews, are learning real history in school… so that we NEVER FORGET, Never take our freedoms for granted! Yes we are called to live in Christ-centered Courage, self-discipline, love, hope. We are called to…
The Texas Heartbeat Act: Quick Facts The Texas Heartbeat Act prohibits elective abortions after an unborn child’s heartbeat can be detected. An unborn child’s heartbeat can be detected by six weeks. Before an abortion occurs, the abortionist must determine whether the child’s heartbeat is present using methods according to standard medical practice. If a heartbeat…
Sept 2, 2021 update— Late last night, the U.S. Supreme Court DENIED an emergency motion filed by Planned Parenthood to stop enforcement of the Texas Heartbeat Act while lower-court litigation continues. It was a 5-4 decision, with Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett in the majority. Chief Justice Roberts joined the liberal minority. You…
